The summons arrived at dawn.
Not carried by a messenger. Not softened by ceremony.
It came as a command pressed directly into Theo’s bones.
The Council demanded his presence in the Alpha Trial Circle.
Immediately.
Theo
The moment the call struck, my wolf reared inside me like a creature dragged from sleep into fire. Every nerve screamed a warning. The Trial Circle had not been used in decades, not since the last Alpha dared to defy the Elders openly.
This was not a request.
It was a judgment.
I stood at the edge of the estate grounds, the forest still dark with early morning mist. Somewhere behind me, Sofia slept—unaware that the ground beneath our fragile peace was already cracking apart.
Stay, my wolf snarled.
But I couldn’t.
If I refused the summons, the Council would not pu
